Category: Metal (Page 5 of 11)

Foxy Shazam: Foxy Shazam

June 9, 2010 /


RIYL: Queen, Meat Loaf, Mike Patton, Epic Facial Hair

There’s a scene in Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous” where two members of the fictional band Stillwater are arguing over who works the hardest. The lead singer makes his case the best, yelling at the guitarist “You know what I do? I connect. I get people off. I look for the guy who isn’t getting off, and I make him get off!”

Convert that sentiment into music, and that is the sound of Foxy Shazam’s self-titled third album. This is music tailor-made to get you off. The magnificent howls of lead singer Eric Sean Nally grab you by the ghoulies from opening minute of the intro, which he closes with an ungodly howl that will make your dog freak the eff out, and doesn’t let go. From there it’s bombs away, literally, that’s the name of opening track, and figuratively; these crazy mothers from Cincinnati are not afraid to throw everything they got at you and then some.

Foxy_Shazam_03

Past that, it’s practically impossible to describe the maniacal sound Foxy Shazam created on this record. No genre can contain them, not even on a single song. They’re part ’70s glam, part ’80s metal and part ’90s hardcore, all with an overwhelming current of timeless soul thrown in. Some tracks, like “Count Me Out” and “Unstoppable,” wear their Queen/Elton John influences on their sleeves. But odder numbers like the oddly funky “Connect” defy all categorization. Then there’s the lyrics, which are so goofy and high on camp that they just have to be serious. On “Bye Bye Symphony” Nally seductively belts out “life is a bitch but she’s totally doable” and on the ode to down-low loving “Second Floor” he compares his sneaking ability to that of G.I. Joe. It’s so crazy it doesn’t just work, it works marvelously.

You need this record. Trust me. Sure, you can buy the new Broken Social Scene album and have yourself a good cry, or you can pick up Foxy Shazam and have your ears punched in the balls with a fistful of awesome. Your choice. (Sire 2010)

Foxy Shazam MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Funk, Metal, Progressive, Rock, Soul

Deftones: Diamond Eyes

May 13, 2010 /


RIYL: P.O.D., Soulfly, Black Sabbath

Diamond Eyes delivers a concise, effective and heavy record. The Deftones have been the most interesting band to emerge from the ’90s and has consistently delivered music that entertains, provokes and never bores. Currently in heavy rotation, the title track is the perfect opening to an excellent 41-minute ride. Alternating between Sabbath-esque deep riffs and a soaring chorus, “Diamond Eyes” sets the tone for the rest of the record.

IMG_6621 RETOUCH

The evolution of Diamond Eyes needs to be noted. Originally, the Deftones started recording a still-unreleased record titled Eros (as a follow up to 2006’s Saturday Night Wrist) but shelved it shortly after bassist Chi Cheng was in serious car accident, leaving him in a coma. Feeling the need to go in a completely different artistic direction, the band started constructing Diamond Eyes. With Cheng’s condition unchanged, Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega stepped in, played on the current record and is a touring. One would expect a bunch of songs about the angst surrounding the tragedy; instead the lyrics are more abstract and enigmatic while accompanied by the atmospheric, heavy and borderline progressive arrangements. Occasionally, the music is reminiscent of a much heavier and hookier Pink Floyd (on cuts like “Sextape” and “976-Evil”) but Chino and the boys offer enough guitar crunch to meet your metal jones and the record has just enough screaming to be effective without being obnoxious.

Diamond Eyes is akin to the brilliant P.O.D.’s 2008 When Angels and Serpents Dance, which was an example of a band evolving, perfecting and deepening their sound. Diamond Eyes is the same. The Deftones have a unique sound, most of it due to Chino Marino’s hypnotic vocals contrasting with the harder arrangements. Marino can scream, hit the highs and flat out sing when he feels like it. Diamond Eyes is satisfying enough at 41 minutes but leaves you wanting just a bit more. Isn’t that the way it should be? (Reprise 2010)

Deftones MySpace page

CD Reviews, Metal, Progressive, Rock

Judas Priest: British Steel 30th Anniversary Edition

May 5, 2010 /


RIYL: Iron Maiden, Saxon, Breakin’ the law

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 30 years since Judas Priest help define modern metal with their masterpiece British Steel. And with this new deluxe edition celebrating that anniversary, it’s almost as hard to believe that almost all of it still holds up. But even though times change, Halford is still Halford, and his epic yell ensures that British Steel is still heavier than ever.

Sure, time hasn’t been kind to the whole thing; the odd anthem “United” is goofier than ever, and the “man, parents sure do suck” vibe of “You Don’t Have to Be Old to Be Wise” sounds like something your cool uncle would say after your dad yells at you for breaking curfew. But even in their cheesiness these tracks still work somewhat, if nothing else than as a time capsule for a simpler bygone era. And even if those tracks are a bit embarrassing now, “Rapid Fire,” “Metal Gods” and the one-two punch of “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight” remain just as metal-horn salute worthy now as they were in 1980.

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This 30th Anniversary Edition includes a bonus live disc that features a 2009 recording of Priest performing the album in its entirety. It’s kind of superfluous, since they don’t really add much to the tracks in these new live versions. What is worthwhile is the encore, which features new and old Priest favorites like “The Ripper,” “Hell Patrol” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming.”

Old fans of Priest (and man, they must be getting old by now) should dig the new remaster and bonus live cuts, and for all the youngins out there inexperienced in the way of Halford’s epic howl, this serves as a great starting point. (Columbia 2010)

Judas Priest MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Metal, Rock

Bullet for My Valentine: Fever

April 27, 2010 /


RIYL: Killswitch Engage, Avenged Sevenfold, Atreyu

Look no further than the first 80 seconds of Bullet for My Valentine’s third studio album, Fever, to see what these guys are capable of. Those seconds, filled with thumping drums and building guitars, are undoubtedly mosh-worthy, but they aren’t completely indicative of what’s in store with this record. While the band remains as polished as ever technically, the songwriting leaves a lot to be desired and singer Matt Tuck’s vocals go off the glam deep end too often.

The aforementioned opening track, “Your Betrayal,” is one of the album’s better tracks and is a great showcase of Valentine’s love for dynamic guitar solos and layered rhythms. The choruses are catchy enough to not scare the parents and Fever is, without question, the band’s most accessible release to date. “A Place Where You Belong” is an infectious power ballad, as is “Bittersweet Memories.” The first single, “The Last Fight,” has a fist-pumping chorus and energy is not in short supply.

Peppered throughout the record, however, are some seriously groan-inducing moments. Tuck has a great voice, but his persistent whisper becomes obnoxious, as do lyrics like those found in the title track. Try this on for size:

Come here you naughty girl you’re such a tease
You look so beautiful down on your knees
Keep on those high heel shoes rip off all your clothes
You smell so fucking good it makes me lose control!

Even Def Leppard in their heyday would laugh at that. Despite the moments of cheese, Fever is an above-average thrash/melodic metal record that offers great guitar licks and effectively melodic choruses. Bullet for My Valentine will crack an expanded fan base with this offering, but it does come at the expense of some quality in comparison to their previous releases. (Zomba/RED)

Bullet for My Valentine MySpace Page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Metal, Rock

Me, Myself, and iPod 4/21/10: Little Boots’ money shot

April 21, 2010 /

esd ipod

Why is this week’s installment of “Me, Myself and iPod” subtitled ‘Money Shot,’ you ask? Because last week’s column produced the largest number of downloads this site has ever seen, and I’m still not sure if that is a testament to Amanda Palmer’s fiercely loyal fan base, or if it’s because I used the words ‘blowjob queen’ in the title. Either way, I’m not messing with success. Plus, this week’s headliner, um, makes me tingly.

Little Boots – Remedy (SPEAK Remix)
SPEAK makes their second appearance in the three weeks of this column’s existence (they covered Daft Punk’s “Digital Love” in MMI’s debut) by tackling one of the best songs from Little Boots’ album Hands. The mix is a bit of a Frankensong, as the music track doesn’t really mesh with Boots’ vocals, but I’d love to hear someone take the chords in the verse and write a song around that. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to watch her “New in Town” video. Sweet Jesus, is she hot.

Slow Club – Giving Up on Love
This cute boy/girl song also has a great video, but it’s a different kind of great than the Little Boots clip. MacKenzie Crook, a.k.a. Gareth from the UK version of “The Office,” lip syncs the song on a ferris wheel in a one-take clip. As for the song, think the Raveonettes, only poppier.

Eyes Set to Kill – All You Ever Knew
We’re still trying to wrap our heads around this one. The instrumentation in the intro brings to mind Primus, but the male vocals are pure Cookie Monster screamo. And then, this lovely female voice appears in the chorus, and the body that voice comes from, that of Alexia Rodriguez, is equally lovely. Odd, melodic, and thrashy. New record Broken Frames out in June.

See Green – Goldmine
Courtenay Green first caught my eye roughly a year ago when she released the video for her song “Beyond Therapy.” The song was all right – truth be told, I was a bigger fan of the old-fashioned video – but armed with a new band name and an updated, more muscular sound, Green appears to be ready for her close-up. Her Violet EP comes out May 4. Haven’t heard it yet, but you can bet that this song has officially whet my appetite.

Minus the Bear – My Time
Truth be told, my eyes rolled whenever I saw this band’s name. I’m a stickler for band names, and believe that it tells you next to everything you need to know about a band. Upon seeing Minus the Bear, I thought, “pretentious twits.” Wrong. This nifty little synth-friendly rocker fits nicely next to Jupiter One’s recent material, resurrecting the open frontier that was the late ’70s and early ’80s rock scene.

We Have Band – Honey Trap
Look for these guys to burn up the blogosphere. Armed with a drum machine straight off of the Human League’s Dare, this song will appeal to anyone who dug Calvin Harris’ “Merrymaking at My Place.”

The Love Language – Heart to Tell
Jangle pop! Who wants jangle pop? Merge’s latest act blends super-catchy ’60s-style melodies with more contemporary percussion riffs (think “Hollaback Girl”). New album Libraries comes out July 13. Please let the rest of it sound like this.

Elogy – London
The press release compares this trio to Coldplay, Muse, and Thirty Seconds to Mars. I definitely hear the first band, don’t really hear the second band, and am going to try to forget that I ever saw them compared to the third band. If Coldplay made a drum ‘n bass-type record, or at the very least something a little more glitchy (think Everything but the Girl’s Walking Wounded), it would probably sound like this.

Gadi Mirhazi & Soul Clap – Beautiful Thang
Time for a little Deep House Dish. The sampling in the beginning is a little annoying, but then this “Trans Europe Express”-type keyboard settles in, and it’s all smooth sailing from there.

Jeremy Messersmith – Violet!
It was not at all surprising to discover that Dan Wilson is a fan of fellow Minneapolis pop boy Jeremy Messersmith. Armed with a chorus Burt Bacharach and the Red Button would kill for, this tuns is sure to have the Audities set buzzing.

Talking to Walls – Came to You
The press release for this New Haven quartet compared them to the Cure, but to my ears, they’re closer to the Call. Big, earnest, anthemic.

'60s, Alternative, Artists, Dance, Downloads, Electronica, Hipster, Me Myself and iPod, Metal, Pop, Power Pop, Rock, Steal This Song

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